Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Friday issued a draft notification proposing reservation of the offices of Chairpersons in 35 Municipalities and Notified Area Councils (NACs) across the state ahead of the forthcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections. The Housing and Urban Development Department has invited objections and suggestions from the public within 15 days from the date of publication of the notification in the Odisha Gazette.
The draft notification has been issued under the provisions of Section 47(3) and (4) of the Odisha Municipal Act, 1950, read with Rule 67(5) of the Odisha Municipal (Delimitation of Wards, Reservation of Seats and Conduct of Election) Rules, 1994.
As per the proposal, the offices of Chairpersons in 11 NACs—Patrapur, Salepur, Bissamcuttack, Jagannathprasad, Tihidi, Sohela, Birmaharajpur, Narasinghpur, Narla, Simulia and Badamba—have been proposed to be reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) women candidates.
The Chairperson posts in Loisingha, Dhusuri, Palalahada, Jashipur, Basta, Tangi and Chatrapur Municipality have been proposed to be reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
Similarly, the Chairperson posts in Chitrada, Bangriposi, Kaptipada, Betanati, Bamra and Rengali have been earmarked for Scheduled Tribe (ST) women candidates, while Borigumma, Rasagobindapur, Gondia and Jayapatana have been proposed to be reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
The offices of Chairpersons in Chandikhol NAC, Boudhagada Municipality, Asika Municipality and Bhanjanagar Municipality have been proposed to be reserved for women, irrespective of caste, while Polasara Municipality and Odagaon NAC have been kept unreserved, allowing candidates from any eligible category to contest.
The State Government has clarified that any person interested may submit objections or suggestions to the office of the Director, Municipal Administration, within 15 days of the publication of the notification in the Odisha Gazette. All representations received within the stipulated period will be examined before the issuance of the final notification.
The reservation of Chairperson posts is a mandatory statutory exercise conducted before every Urban Local Body election to ensure equitable representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women in urban governance. The reservation is determined through a rotational system prescribed under the Odisha Municipal Act and the relevant election rules.
The final reservation list is expected to be notified after the government considers the objections and suggestions received from stakeholders and the general public, paving the way for the conduct of the long-awaited ULB elections in the state.
